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Nevaeh Reffett

ENG 1201

Mr. Beck

28 April 2020

Mental Health Research Paper

Mental health problems are common in today's society. Some people with mental health

issues may not even know that they have an issue that could be diagnosed. Individuals all around

the world are affected in many different ways since everyone's situations are different. Mental

Illness is diverse on how it can affect you. Despite all the global awareness and support, mental

health still has many social issues in the ways individuals treat it. I will analyze articles,

websites, and newspapers to explain how mental health is seen today and describe the effects of

mental health.

Mental health is the leading cause of health illness with over 450 million people suffering

from its effects on disability worldwide with the numbers consistently increasing over previous

years. “This can be credited to the different types of depression people go through” (Pietrangelo,

Ann). Major depressive disorder is the most common among people. Persistent depressions last

for two years or more and are not as intense but can make daily tasks difficult and strain

relationships. Manic depression is similar to bipolar disorders where individuals alternate

between being happy and sad. Perinatal depression is common among females during or after

pregnancy. Seasonal depression occurs during certain seasons for individuals that are socially

withdrawn and tend to occur during the fall season. Situation depression is brought to life

through a specific event or situation. Atypical depression comes and goes in response to positive

and negative events.

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Each of these illnesses affects individuals economically by affecting their personal

income and their ability to work in order to generate income and pay for expenses. It can affect

an individual’s physical health by increasing the likeliness of heart disease. According to a study

by King’s College London, showed that there is a link between severe mental illnesses like

schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression and cardiovascular disease. “Researchers

analyzed data from 3.2 million people living with severe mental illness – finding they were at a

53% higher risk for having cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t have a mental illness.

The risk of dying from the disease was also 85% higher than people of a similar age in the

general population” (Horton, Lucie).

In addition, there are links between depression and cancer mortality rates. It was shown

in a study that high levels of mental distress can lead to an increased risk of dying from cancer. A

case study hosted by researchers from three different colleges: University College London,

Edinburgh University, and the University of Sydney looked at data from 16 population-based

studies and sent people that displayed high levels of depression and anxiety. They collected data

from individuals through questionnaires. The study lasted for over 10 years as a way to track the

individual’s progression on whether or not the individuals who showed a high level of depression

and anxiety later developed cancer. In addition, “people that have mental illness and diabetes

have extreme symptoms and are 85 percent more likely to have a heart attack” (Horton, Lucie).

Another case study was conducted on individuals with schizophrenia to find out if they

had osteoporosis, which is linked to having low bone mass and more vulnerable and fragile to

bone fractures. The review was conducted in 2013 and studied different situations to find out that

having schizophrenia almost doubled your chances of having low bone density and one in two
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people with schizophrenia will develop low bone mass, as well as a heightened risk of

developing osteoporosis. These studies presented the link between mental illness and our

physical health. Mental illness can completely shut down an individual and keep them from

working at their full potential. It makes people sad, gives them low self-esteem, makes it difficult

for them to concentrate and develops memory problems and as a result, leads to individuals

being socially withdrawn. Needless to say, mental health is an extremely sensitive topic and

needs to be handled with caution. According to the World Health Organization, “the United

States is one of the most depressed countries in the world” (McPhillips, Deidre).

In the United States, one in four individuals experiences some sort of mental health

illness during their life. This is almost 20 percent of all adults in the country and there are

multiple different disorders that individuals can come across consisting of abnormal thoughts,

perceptions of one’s self, emotions, behavior, and their relationships with others. It contributes to

people becoming less productive in society and sitting at home collecting government checks

and other welfare benefits every month over the course of their life. According to the national

alliance of mental illness, “currently almost nine million individuals receive social security

disability insurance (SSDI), and as of 2013, 35.2% of recipients qualify for disability based on a

mental health condition” (NAMI). This can be a combination of individuals experiencing

depression, where individuals have a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.

There is depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, schizophrenia, drug use disorder,

alcohol use disorder, and anxiety disorder. Among all of these disorders, anxiety disorder is the

biggest contributor to the share of the global population with disorders since 2017. “Affecting
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284 million people out of the 792 million, and from that data, it affects more females than males”

(Our World In Data). There are many reasons why people get depressed, whether that is because

of losing a loved one, getting fired from a job, going through a divorce, or other difficult

situations can lead a person to feel sad, lonely, and scared. These feelings are normal reactions to

life's stressors. However, in more severe cases such as serious mental illness (SMI), individuals

who are diagnosed with depression as a psychiatric disorder, display low mood which tends to

persist for longer than usual cases.

In recent studies conducted by Dr. Jean Twenge, presents reports that show there has

been a significant increase in mental health issues when relating it to young adults and teenagers.

According to the American Psychological Association, “the rate of individuals reporting

symptoms consistent with major depression in the last 12 months increased 52 percent in

adolescents from 2005 to 2017 (from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent) and 63 percent in young adults

age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent). There was also a 71 percent

increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from

2008 to 2017 (from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent). The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts

or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to

10.3 percent)” (Twenge, Jean). This can be the result of young people feeling like they have the

burden of the world on their shoulders, trying to get themselves situated while trying to make

their parents happy or dealing with other personal issues that arise during their high schools such

as relationships, friendships, or the rapidly growing popularity in cultural trends like glorifying

drug use, break ups, suicide, gang violence, displayed in music for the past 10 years that may

have had a larger effect on mood disorders and suicide-related outcomes among younger
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generations compared with older generations. “When compared to countries like China and

India, the United States ranks third for depressive disorders” (McPhillips, Deidre). With all of

this data on individuals who suffer from mental illness, what is being done to reduce the

increasing numbers? What stops people with mental illness to get the help they need?

The awareness of mental illness has been recognized by many influencers, celebrities,

and political figures like Hilary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. There have been

multiple campaigns created to raise awareness and as a result, more people felt comfortable

looking for help. However, before all the campaign, the awareness, the big youtube influencers,

the idea of being stigmatized stopped many people from getting treatment. According to a study

by the World Health Organization, “ the WHO found that between 30 and 80 percent of people

with mental health issues don’t seek treatment. This includes 50 percent of people with bipolar

disorder, 55 percent of people with panic disorder, 56 percent of people with major depression,

and a stunning 78 percent of people with alcohol use disorder” (High Watch Recovery Center).

The World Health Organization’s response to this was to include 4 major objectives to execute

on, “this consisted of more effective leadership and governance for mental health, the provision

of comprehensive, integrated mental health and social care services in community-based settings,

the implementation of strategies for promotion and prevention; and strengthened information

systems, evidence, and research” (World Health Organization).

However, before the campaigns and awareness, there were multiple reasons why

individuals did not get the treatment they needed for their illness. In this case study, there are

individuals that just did not want to get treatment, and there are individuals that do want to get
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treatment but could not due to restrictions that bind them. A newspaper published by the

Psychiatric Services conducted an examination on why people who are aware of being diagnosed

with depression do not obtain treatment. According to Psychology Today, “Less than half of the

American adults with a mental illness receive treatment, for instance only 19 of 44 million

American adults with a mental illness obtained mental health treatment.” (Emamzadeh, Arash).

The data was collected from the 2008-2014 national survey on drug use and health, which was

before all awareness campaigns. There was a total of 20,785 participants that were diagnosed

with major depression. The demographic consisted of 18-49-year-olds, with 77% being white

individuals who had private health insurance, meaning they had the resources and ability to

receive treatment, while the rest of the 30% did not. “5.8 percent did not have transportation or

the treatment location was too far, 6.5 percent did not want anyone to find out they had an

illness, 6.5 percent could not have their health insurance cover the cost, 8.1 percent were

concerned about the effect it would have on their job, 8.6 percent did not think they needed it at

the moment, 9.7 percent were concerned about confidentiality, 10.9 percent did not think

treatment would help, 11 percent were concerned about their neighbor’s opinion, 11.7 percent

did not have enough health insurance coverage, 14.2 percent were too busy, 15.2 percent were

concerned about being forced to take medication, 16.7 percent did not know where to go, 22.2

percent thought they could handle it without treatment, and almost 50 percent could not

financially afford the treatment” (Emamzadeh, Arash).

In addition, There were different perspective conflicts between how individuals looked

at mental illness. There are individuals who believe that mental illness is something you are born

with and do not develop as you age, and then there are individuals who believe that mental
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illness is something you develop over your lifetime. Neither group is wrong; however, neither

group is completely right in their claims. Studies have shown that psychiatric disorders like

autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depression, and

schizophrenia are hereditary, and can be inherited from parents due to their family genes.

According to a research article, “there is strong evidence that genetic factors make substantial

contributions to the etiology of autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, with heritability

estimates being at least 80% for each” (Carroll & Owen).

However, individuals who think that people develop mental illness throughout their life

are also accurate in their claims. Some mental illnesses can be caused by biological factors that

further prove that it can be inherited but there are psychological and environmental factors that

need to be considered as well when determining whether or not mental illness can be developed

throughout one’s life. For example, a child with perfect genes and no signs of mental illness is

born but due to him having severe psychological trauma as a child, whether it be emotional,

physical, or sexual can cause the development of mental illness throughout that child’s life.

Other reasons that mental illness can be developed is due to neglect, not being able to empathize,

or have poor ability relating to others, etc. In addition, environmental factors can trigger certain

stressors in an individual, which in turn can develop mental illness. According to the article,

“Causes of Mental Illness,” some stressors can include: “the death or divorce of parents, a

dysfunctional family life, changing jobs or schools, social or cultural expectation, substance

abuse, and feeling of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger, or loneliness can all trigger

mental illnesses” (Bhandari, Smitha). Mental illness can be passed down by family members and

developed throughout an individual’s life.

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In Conclusion, mental health is an extremely sensitive topic that must have been

taken seriously by everyone before people started to feel uncomfortable and unable to look for

help. The World Health Organization, as well as health insurance companies, should make

getting treatment more accessible and less costly. Individuals should be open to understanding

the different perspectives that are included in mental illness, as well as understand the

seriousness of how it can affect lives. And all types of depressions are serious and all types of

disorders need to be taken into consideration so the individuals affected can still participate in

society, despite their condition.

Work Cited

World Health Organization, “Mental Disorders.” Published. 29 Nov 2019.

Accessed. 29 April 2020

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders

World Health Organization, “Mental Disorders Affect One In Four People.” Published. 29 July

2013. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/

Emamzadeh, Arash. Psychology Today. “15 Reasons Why People With Depression Do Not Get

Treatment.” Published. 18 October 2019. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

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https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-new-home/201810/15-reasons-why-

people-depression-don-t-get-treatment

High Watch Recovery Center. “Why Don’t People Seek Help for Mental illness?” Published. 15

January 2019. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://highwatchrecovery.org/why-dont-people-seek-help-for-mental-illness/

National Alliance On Mental Illness. “Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security

Disability Insurance (SSDI)” Published. 11 March 2019. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Improve-Care/Supplemental-Security-

Income-(SSI)-and-Social-Security-Disability-Insurance-(SSDI)

Richie, Hannah & Roser, Max. Our World In Data. “Mental Health.” Published. April 2018.

Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health

American Psychological Association. "Mental health issues increased significantly in young

adults over the last decade: Shift may be due in part to the rise of digital media, study

suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 March 2019.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.htm

Pietrangelo, Ann. HealthLine. “9 Types Of Depression And How To Recognize Them.”

Reviewed by. Ph.D. Legg, Timothy, Published. 24 September 2018. Accessed. 29 April

2020.

https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-depression

Horton, Lucie. Transforming Mental Health Through Research. “4 ways our physical health

could be impacted by our mental health.” Published. 22 May 2017. Accessed. 29 April

2020.
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https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/posts/4-ways-our-physical-health-could-be-impacted-

by-our-mental-health

McPhillips, Deidre. US News. “U.S. Among Most Depressed Countries in the World.”

Published. 14 September 2016. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2016-09-14/the-10-most-

depressed-countries

Carroll S. Liam, & Owen J. Michael. NCBI. “Genetic overlap between autism, schizophrenia

and bipolar disorder.” Published. 30 October 2009. Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784305/

Bhandari, Smitha MD. Web MD. “Causes Of Mental Illness.” Published. 20 May 2018.

Accessed. 29 April 2020.

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-causes-mental-illness#2